Orientation toward Occupy
Orientation toward Occupy
(new-power.org)
The Occupy protests continue to dwindle in the Unites States. This is expected. The weather has played a role. It is harder to organize in the winter. The police repression has played a role. The inability of the Democrats to fully co-opt Occupy has resulted in Occupiers losing their status as media darlings. The media has turned against them. Media coverage is much more hostile today than it was at the beginning of the movement. Also, people in the United States have short attention spans. They are easily bored. People lose interest. However, most importantly, Occupy is running up against the social forces of trying to sustain a movement for social change in the First World. The vast majority of First World peoples do not have an interest in radical, egalitarian social change. They simply benefit too much from the system. They are too comfortable. Occupy is not about Leading Light Communism, is not about a radical reorganization at the deepest levels to bring about a world without oppression. Occupy is dominated by social-democratic and populist rhetoric. Even though social-democratic reform is often in the interests of most people in the United States, most people are simply too comfortable to fight very hard for it. People are too a-politicized and comfortable to even stand up for their own bourgeois interests. This is not necessarily a bad thing. After all, increasing the living standard of First World peoples as a whole is almost always connected to impoverishing Third World peoples. Nonetheless, Occupy still lingers on.
Could Occupy get a second wind? It will pick up a bit in the spring, but probably not return to previous levels. If the economy goes downward, then we could see more people at Occupy in the spring. However, at the moment, it does not appear the economy is falling. Rather, the latest numbers indicate a slight improvement in the situation. Occupy may be able to get a boost of energy by combining its efforts with the May Day efforts of the migrants. Occupy may get some kind of traction out of combining its efforts with the NATO/G8 protests this year. The “full-moon factor” could also boost Occupy’s numbers. It is 2012. Many New Religious Movements believe that 2012 heralds the transformation of the world. This idea, based upon, often chauvinist, misappropriation and misinterpretation of the Maya calendar, is widespread in pop culture. Movies have been made about the supposed significance of 2012. Many tomes have been written on the topic. There is a long history of apocalyptic “Great Awakening”-type movements in the United States. There is a possibility that Occupy could get a second wind if its numbers are boosted by people thinking that Occupy is somehow connected to the end of the world. In a country where economic contradictions are not sharp, culture plays a more significant role in social motion.
The correct orientation toward Occupy is the same as before. Do not bother trying to lead directly. For those who can, create a Leading Light pole in the movement. Look for the most caring, the most daring, and the most intelligent. They are the ones who will be drawn toward the Leading Light. Educate. Recruit. If the economy does go downward, we need to have the organization ready to mobilize that minority who break left, toward internationalism. Discipline. Organization.
In the middle of a recession, Americans continue to spend
In the middle of a recession, Americans continue to spend
(new-power.org)
The holiday season is the biggest quarter for retail businesses. There were fears this season that sales would worsen due to the economic slump. The numbers are in. Even though the global economy, including the US economy, is in a slump, Americans still managed to spend substantially this Christmas. Amid fears and the economic downturn, there was a record-setting Black Friday. Retail sales were reported as “solid” over the holidays. Holiday spending was up 4.1 percent overall. Americans spending for the 2011 season reached 521 billion dollars, beating expectations. There are many store closings, but this is more a result of Americans going online than a result of Americans not spending at all. According to the Wall Street Journal, the last week of the holiday season ended on an up note. Online sales increased 16% this year from last year for the final week of the holiday season. Online spending over holidays was the highest ever with Americans purchasing 35.3 billion dollars online. According to the Federal Reserve, the US economy shows signs of continuing, but sluggish growth:
“‘Compared with prior summaries, the reports on balance suggest ongoing improvement in economic conditions in recent months, with most districts highlighting more favorable conditions than indentified in reports from the late spring through early fall,’ it said.
Consumer spending — a key driver of the economy — picked up in most districts and reflected ‘significant gains’ in holiday retail sales compared with last year’s season, the Fed said.
Travel and tourism expanded broadly and demand continued to strengthen for nonfinancial services, including professional and transportation services.
Manufacturing, the sector that led the recovery from the end of the recession in June 2009, continued to expand but at a slower pace in areas such as technology products.
Activity in the depressed housing market remained ‘sluggish,’ but there were a few signs of improvement in ‘somewhat soft overall’ commercial real-estate markets.
The Fed, whose dual mandate is price stability and maximum employment, said its latest summary of economic conditions showed ‘very limited’ upward price pressures and price increases.
Inflation remained subdued amid the tepid economic growth that has left producers reluctant to pass through rising wholesale costs.”
This drives home the difference between the First and Third Worlds. When a recession hits the Third World, people starve, as they now. The Third World is in a perpetual state of crisis. Radical progressive change is possible there because revolution is the hope of the hopeless. The recession this season in the United States barely affected spending habits. Some people on the margins suffer, but it is a big mistake to see the marginalized in the First World as a reliable, significant social base. They are not. Things have to get much worse in the First World before revolution can happen. Those in the First World have far more to lose than their chains.
For Chicken Little, the sky is always falling. The economy is always on the verge of collapse and fascism is always around the corner. The end of the world is always just around the corner. This kind of rhetoric is shared by the Occupy movement, the populist-fascists, and the First Worldist “left.” The reality is that the economy has been in crisis — although not bad enough to create anything like revolutionary conditions in the United States. It may continue to be in crisis, but it looks as though it may be stabilized or in recovery. The Occupy movement is a crossroads. Some of those roads lead to progressive, anti-imperialist, anti-militarist, green places. Some lead to Leading Light Communism. But most lead to First Worldist populism and fascism. Fascism is not simply something from on high, but also bubbles up from below. The crisis so far has brought a small number of people to anti-imperialism and Leading Light Communism, but it, no doubt, brought many more toward fascism and social fascism. If a greater economic crisis occurs or if the current recession deepens, we can expect the polarization to continue. Most people will swing toward fascism and social fascism, a smaller number will swing in progressive directions. We must build the organization so that we can be ready. But we need to do so with steady, clear heads. Always put Leading Light Communism, revolutionary science, front and center.
Sources
1. http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/2….E7BR0YN20111228
2. http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20111228-705301.html
3. http://247wallst.com/2011/12/28/2011-bri….commerce-sales/
4. http://www.nrf.com/modules.php?name=Pages&sp_id=1234
5. http://money.cnn.com/2011/11/29/pf/holiday_sales/index.htm
6. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hVkxACi-dNis_YfB502qJqp6RfMA?docId=CNG.460043c1b742ef8b12033b19a574267a.331
7. http://techcrunch.com/2011/12/28/comscore-u-s-online-holiday-spending-up-15-to-record-35-3-billion/
8. http://gantdaily.com/2012/01/13/holiday-spending-up-4-1-percent/
9. http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/u-s-holiday-spending-strong-175521.html
Support the Blackout: Oppose SOPA and PIPA
Oppose SOPA and PIPA
(new-power.org)
The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and PROTECT IP Act (PIPA) are dangerous threats to freedom of speech. All people who value civil liberties should speak up against these pieces of legislation. Although the language of the legislation aims to shut down violations of copyright, the language is overly broad. It creates a situation where the state can muscle almost any online service or webpage for any number of reasons. It creates a situation where the state can muscle internet services into censoring dissent. Several internet sites are “going black” in protest. New Power is joining the protest.
MLK, myth and reality
MLK, myth and reality
(new-power.org)
Today is MLK day. All across the US, people will hold marches and rallies. These will be sponsored by state and city governments, corporations, unions and non-profits. In these celebrations, the MLK that emerges is an MLK who is seen as safe to the establishment. MLK’s legacy, as re-imagined by the establishment, becomes not a tool of dissent, but a tool to quash dissent. Now, the real MLK was not a revolutionary. He was a target of criticism by the revolutionary camp of leaders like Robert F. Williams. Even so, MLK led many heroic struggles against injustice. He spoke out against the brutal racism inflicted against Black people in the US. He spoke out against the imperialist genocide against Vietnam. Mao honored him by issuing a statement after his assassination:
“Some days ago, Martin Luther King, the Afro-American clergyman, was suddenly assassinated by the U.S. imperialists. Martin Luther King was an exponent of nonviolence. Nevertheless, the U.S. imperialists did not on that account show any tolerance toward him, but used counter-revolutionary violence and killed him in cold blood. “
MLK was not seen as a friend by the those in power at the time. Today the US is waging wars all over the world, directly and through proxies: Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Pakistan, Iran, Somalia, Sudan — to name a few. In this context, we should remember MLK at his best, when he criticized the violence of imperialism:
“But they asked — and rightly so — what about Vietnam? They asked if our own nation wasn’t using massive doses of violence to solve its problems, to bring about the changes it wanted. Their questions hit home, and I knew that I could never again raise my voice against the violence of the oppressed in the ghettos without having first spoken clearly to the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today — my own government. For the sake of those boys, for the sake of this government, for the sake of hundreds of thousands trembling under our violence, I cannot be silent.” — Martin Luther King Jr., 4 April, 1967 Speech delivered by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on April 4, 1967, at a meeting of Clergy and Laity Concerned at Riverside Church in New York City
Let’s honor all those who have died in the struggle against imperialism and injustice.
US pigs urinate on Taliban
US pigs urinate on Taliban
(new-power.org)
A recent video has surfaced that depicts several US marines standing above the bodies of their dead Taliban adversaries. The dead are aligned as trophies while the US soldiers urinate on them. In the video, marines from Scout Sniper Team 4 laugh and mock the dead. One says “golden like a shower.” Another says, “have a great day buddy.” This graphically shows the US military violating the Geneva Conventions that state that the dead must be treated with respect. The video was posted to youtube by a whistle blower, “SimperfiLoneVoice,” who made his intentions known with the caption: “i thought marines were suppose to do the right thing when no one is watching.”
No matter how the US responds, this video is a major propaganda coup for those resisting imperialism. It has the potential to have an effect similar to Abu Ghraib in Iraq. The video has more sensational potential than the video of US troops executing a wounded combatant in Iraq. Even though the bodies appear to be corpses, all of the US crimes in the region can be symbolized in this simple, disrespectful act. Even though the dead do not feel, every living Muslim, even living Afghanistani, will see this as US marines urinating on their loved ones.
National Defense Authorization Act and the Militarization of the US
National Defense Authorization Act and the Militarization of the US
(new-power.org)
The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), with bipartisan support, will soon be signed into law. It authorizes 662 billion dollars for the defense budget of the US. It finances US imperialist wars abroad. However, it is not just an appropriations bill. The NDAA contains a dangerous set of provisions that dissidents, including Leading Lights, in the US need to be aware of. In the tradition of the Patriot Act, passed after 911, this piece of legislation clears the way for the violent suppression of dissent and further control of society by the capitalist state, the military and police apparatus in particular. These acts increase the power in the hands of the executive branch, military, policing, and intelligence agencies. Supporters of the bill like Republican senator Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, are very open about its powers. Graham stated, “The homeland is part of the battlefield and people can be held without trial whether an American citizen or not.” This act clears the way for martial law, especially in a crisis situation. It authorizes deployment of the military for domestic policing. It authorizes indefinite detention without trial, assassination, and torture for both non-citizens and citizens. The current administration continues to move in the direction that Bush began after the 911 attacks. Majorities in both the House and Senate passed the NDAA. Only 13 members of the House voted against it. 283 voted for it. In the Senate, 86 of the 100 senators voted for it.
Civil Libertarians inside the system have been pointing out the dangers of the legislation. The minority who voted against the legislation have been very vocal in their opposition. Republican senator from Texas Ron Paul, who is now leading the Republican Presidential race, stated, “This is a giant step — this should be the biggest news going on right now — literally legalizing martial law.” Mark Udall, a Democratic senator from Colorado stated:
“These provisions raise serious questions as to who we are as a society and what our Constitution seeks to protect… Section 1031 essentially repeals the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 by authorizing the U.S. military to perform law enforcement functions on American soil. That alone should alarm my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, but there are other problems with these provisions that must be resolved.”
Senator Al Franken, a Democrat from Minnesota, described the Kafkaesque world that the NDAA creates:
“If we pass the Defense authorization bill with section 1031, Congress will… for the first time in 60 years, authorize the indefinite detention of US citizens without charge or trial. This would be the first time Congress has deviated from President Nixon’s Non-detention Act. What we are talking about is that Americans could be subjected to life imprisonment–think about that for a moment–life imprisonment without ever being charged, tried, or convicted of a crime, without ever having an opportunity to prove your innocence to a judge or a jury of your peers, and without the government ever having to prove your guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. I believe that denigrates the very foundations of this country.”
These critics are pointing to the repeal of the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878, suspension of habeas corpus, and the concentration of power upward to the executive. The bill grants the President more powers in the supposed war against terror.
After 911, thousands were rounded up, mostly from outside the US and detained as suspected “illegal combatants.” Others were victims of rendition. Many people found themselves in a Kafkaesque world, kidnapped in airports, taken halfway around the world to Eastern Europe or the Middle East, and tortured for alleged offenses. After cases of mistaken identity, some survivors of the nightmare have filed law suits against their state kidnappers. Although the Patriot Act contained some provisions on detention, during the Bush years, the executive branch created the Guantanamo and CIA’s secret prison system by fiat. When the detentions were challenged, the Authorization for Use of Military Force resolution, passed in September 2001, was used to justify the illegal detentions. The AUMF authorizes the president to use “necessary and appropriate force” to deal with those believed to be connected to the 911 attacks. Even so, the legality of the shadowy prison state was continually challenged, even becoming a topic of debate in the last presidential elections. With the passage of the NDAA, the legal questions will be perceived as settled by most.
In the past, the US state has shown itself willing to violently suppress its opponents and perceived opponents when it feels the need. During World War 2, the US rounded up Japanese, including US citizens, in the US. They confiscated their property, imprisoned them, and made them work during the war. S. Floyd Mori, national director of the Japanese American Citizens League, claiming to be the nation’s oldest and largest Asian American civil and human rights organization, said the legislation, if enacted and put into use, would be reminiscent of the unconstitutional indefinite detention of Japanese Americans during World War 2. The US has waged non-stop wars against oppressed nations since its founding. Even now, the US destroys Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya. The US is currently targeting Syria. However, Iran is the main target of the US imperialists. In the 1960s and 1970s, the state violently attacked groups like the Black Panther Party and the American Indian Movement. Even so, the NDAA, like the Patriot Act before it, normalizes and extends the security state outside and within the US borders.
The NDAA, like the Patriot Act before it, is part of a greater trend. New, sophisticated technologies are being developed and used by the state to gather intelligence. There is an increasing trend toward use of these technologies throughout society, not just within the military. Local police and even private security firms increasingly have access to technologies that increase their ability to control dissent. In addition, local police departments and security firms are becoming more and more militarized. Local police departments and security firms not only regularly train with technologies and weapons once reserved for military use, they have also adopted military approaches and training styles. There are new, dangerous agencies like Homeland Security. And there is an increase in collaboration between local and national agencies. Torture is becoming acceptable in the supposed war on terror. Illegal detention is more and more considered acceptable. Assassination is considered acceptable. Just recently the US assassinated US citizen Anwar al-Awlaki with a drone with little protest in the US. They also reportedly assassinated Osama Bin Laden. In addition, the Stop Online Piracy Act will give the government power to shut down websites or muscle providers to do so themselves. The internet has become a major vehicle for dissent. This gives the state the ability to shut down online dissent legally.
Despite the cries from populist civil libertarians, the main target of the militarization of society will not be US citizens as a whole. Again and again, the US population, on the whole, support the police and military. Similarly, even though the US has the highest per capita incarceration rate of any country, few in the US raise objections to the growing prison state. People in the US support the police, military and prison state not simply because they are “brainwashed,” although false consciousness can come into play. They do so primarily because most people within the US are part of the global bourgeoisie. It is in their class interest to support the state security and military apparatus that protects their wealth. The jackboot of the NDAA will not land on most Americans, it will fall on Third World peoples worldwide, the most oppressed — especially nationally oppressed within US borders and the lower strata, migrants, Islamic communities, criminal organizations, dissidents and those labeled “extremist” on both the “left” (and, possibly even the “right”). There is a common belief that fascism in Germany in the last century was imposed on Germans against their desires and interests. This was not the case. Hitler’s regime in Germany was not an unpopular one. Hitler captured power in large part because of his popularity. The Nazis were able to advance themselves through a legislative, “democratic” process with the support of many Germans. Hitler’s regime was a popular one because it sought to advance the interests of Germans, including German workers, at the expense of other peoples. The Nazis plundered non-German, domestic and foreign populations to the benefit of most Germans. Similarly, just as many Germans supported the Nazi regime, similarly the US population will most likely support or generally not care about the slide toward greater militarization of society.
For some, the sky is always falling. Fascism is always around the corner and the economy is always on the verge of total collapse. Such Chicken Little rhetoric has been a constant from both the populist right and the populist “left” for decades. This kind of rhetoric is often used by populists, like the Occupy Wall Street, along with empty calls for First World social unity against a supposed shadowy cabal of elites. This sort of populist worldview is heard in the “We are the 99% versus the 1%” of the Occupy movement. Even though the populist rhetoric calls for social unity, it mostly falls on deaf ears in mainstream America. Mainstream America benefits from capitalist-imperialist policies that are bound up with the police, military, and prison state. In addition, mainstream America is not the target of the militarization of society nor will they oppose the militarization. Even so, a broken clock can still be right twice a day. The US economy is in crisis, but is far from on the verge of the collapse imagined by the populists. It could get worse, recover slowly, or peter on as it has. We should not be “leftist” Chicken Littles, using the perceived threat of fascism to justify any and every opportunist, populist alliance. We should recognize the potential for militarization of society against dissent, we should also plan for contingencies, while recognizing the real dynamics involved. We need to continue our steady work, increasing discipline and organization. We also need to increase our ideological level. If the jackboot begins to fall, we have the organization, the science, and leadership to defeat it. Discipline. Organization. Science. Leadership.
Sources
1. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/270213/2….martial-law.htm
2. http://thenewamerican.com/usnews/politic….horization -act
3. http://www.thepeoplesvoice.org/TPV3/Vide….daa-martial-law
4. http://www.infowars.com/exclusive-government-activating-fema-camps-across-u-s/
Uphold the united front from attacks by fake leftists
Uphold the united front from attacks by fake leftists
by cherokeetears
(new-power.org)
There are those who say that it is acceptable to support imperialism on some occasions. This opportunism has plagued revolutionary politics since their inception. From the anarchists of Marx, to the social-imperialists of Lenin, and through the capitalist roaders of Mao’s China, every revolutionary period has had its opportunism. The Left has been infected by the liberalism and idealism of identity politics, and too often it has succumb to the pressure of this idealism. Individuals have embraced imperialism for their own prejudices, they aligned against national liberation in places like Libya and Afghanistan. They have set themselves up as shills for so-called “progressive imperialism.” They enable oppression from the shores of their imperial homelands. This is the case today with the US assault in the Middle East.
Mao Zedong saw the principal contradiction as between imperialism and oppressed nations. The main enemy on the world’s stage was imperialism. There can be no liberation without the defeat of imperialism. The struggle against imperialism is the struggle that unlocks the possibility of other social liberation. In this way, the struggle against imperialism is the most important one today. The so-called “left”in the First World has often exhibit a liberal naïveté that supports imperialism when the imperialists present their projects in the liberal and activist language of the “left.” It will yield when the imperialists present themselves as champions of idealistic and unscientific ideas such as bourgeoisie “democracy” or when the imperialists present themselves as supporting Third World peoples against totalitarian dictators or when the imperialists present themselves as the saving Third World women from Islam. The illusion of progressive imperialism is just that, an illusion born of successful propaganda by the imperialist themselves. This propaganda allows opportunists on the so-called “left” in the First World to support the export of imperialism with a liberal, democratic face. Such opportunism is idealistic and unscientific. It assumes that imperialism brings “democracy” and “freedom” when in fact it only brings exploitation and oppression. The institutions placed in countries by the imperialists are rarely better, and are often worse, than the institutions that imperialists condemn. Imperialism is not a better option, it yields nothing but open markets for capitalism. When the US’s pocketbook is threatened, when its hegemony in the world market is threatened, it acts: economic sabotage, destabilization, sanctions, bombs, invasions. The imperialists intervene “on behalf of the people,” but the reality is that these interventions only provide instability and violence against people.
When facing the threat of the invading Japanese forces, the Communist Party of China (CCP) allied with the reactionary Guomindang (GMD) in order to defeat the imperialist aggressors. The GMD was made of of several elements ranging from the nationalist bourgeoisie, feudalists, to compradors. The GMD had waged war against the CCPfor decades. The GMD had tried to annihilate the CCP. The long march, led by Mao, was begun as a breakout by the CCP from an anniliation campaign by the GMD. However, there was a bigger enemy than the GMD. The Japanese invaded and occupied China. If the Communists had continued fighting the GMD, both groups would have more easily been defeated by the Japanese. It was by upholding the Broad United Front Against Imperialism that the CCP won support of the masses. The CCP took up the national banner against the Japanese. This not only won them the support of the masses. This also won more progressive elements within the GMD to their cause. We must learn from history.
Imperialism cannot be justified in any aspect. Bourgeois so-called feminists try to justify imperialism by appealing to “women’s rights.” They try to justify imperialist aggression against Iraq and Afghanistan. Women’s rights have not significantly improved under the pro-US governments. Any improvement in women’s rights on the ground is coupled by religious, ethnic, and sectarian violence. Social programs in many cases have been destroyed, people have been forced into exile for fear of persecution on religious, ethnic, or political grounds. Resources are taken from the people by multinational corporations. This is not better than the current regime. Iraq is being destroyed by religious violence, and Sunni-Shia infighting is killing innocent civilians every day. This was not an issue under the previous government. Afghanistan is involved in a brutal tribal war, one in which there are still remnants of Taliban supporters, along with other tribes and ethnicities, all fighting one another. Imperialism has not made life better in these areas by any means. In addition, when the imperialists cannot put in a boot-licking, pro-Western moderate, they often cut a deal with those who are the most socially conservative. The imperialists are about power, not about human rights.
In light of recent events, attention has turned towards the tensions between the imperialists and Middle Eastern and African countries, most recently Libya and Syria. The US is setting the stage for a confrontation with Iran also. If imperialist aggression occurs with Iran in any aspect, the imperial so-called “left” will remain divided on the issue. Some — Leading Lights, anti-imperialists, and others — will oppose the attacks against the Third World. Many others — Democrats, opportunists, revisionists, and other First Worldists — will support the imperialists in the name progress. A “left” that supports imperialism is an enemy of the Third World masses and the revolution. They are social-imperialists. They may claim to be socialist, communist, anarchist, democratic, or progressive, but they line up with the imperialists. They do not understand the balance of social forces in the world. They do not correctly answer Mao’s famous question “Who are our enemies? Who are our friends?” Not only does their opportunism and idealism lead them to their incorrect position, but their privilege as First World peoples also leads them to align against the Third World. They desire more for themselves. They are consumers. They have a class interest in supporting a system that provides them with a relatively comfortable life.
The most deliberate opportunists will qualify their support, as they did with Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya, stating that they “don’t support the imperialist support, but they support the movement of the people.” The reality is that they do not support the people. The media portrays these civil wars as one-sided, they portray US invasions as domestically popular, but this is not the case. Few support the invasion of their country by an occupying force. To do so is consider treason by most. Civil wars are civil wars because they are struggles between antagonistic groups. No coup d’etat, no civil war, no dissenting action is unchallenged or undisputed. Libya was a civil war. Tribal and religious opportunists took advantage of opportunities presented to them. They manipulated Libyan people to fight the government, the people did not act unanimously to destroy their governments, this was done for them. The Libyan regime was only defeated with massive support from the US, NATO bombs, MI6 and CIA operations, etc. Even other Arab states put troops on the ground in what amounted to a de facto invasion to oust Gaddafi. This imperialist act was cheered by the opportunist and movementarian so-called “left” in the US.
The same will be true of the actions in Syria and Iran. US aggression in Syria and Iran will face support from the corporate media. The media will portray one-sided views of unanimous support for imperialist aggression, and many self proclaimed “leftists” will support the imperialists. Be warned: these opportunists are effectively supporting imperialism and denying self-determination of peoples. They are serving up the people and resources of the Third World to the imperial butchers. Those who align with imperialism are lackeys. They are idealists. They are liberals. They do not uphold Marxism, they uphold liberalism. Their approach is not scientific. It will not bring socialism. Only by acknowledging the enemy of imperialism, will we be able to end imperialism. Embracing science will bring socialism, not idealism and liberalism.
Oppose US intervention in the Middle East. Fight against imperialism and its lackeys. Syria and Iran are the next targets in the imperialist’s crosshairs. We must not support imperialism against Syria and Iran, we must oppose imperialist aggression and uphold Leading Light Communism. Revolution is the only solution, imperialism will only delay the revolution.
No thanks, Amerikkka.. art by Leading Light Shubel Morgan
No thanks, Amerikkka.. art by Leading Light Shubel Morgan
(new-power.org)
US kills more Africans with drones
US kills more Africans with drones
(new-power.org)
According to a recent report:
“The Friday attack took place near Ras Kamboni town in the Badhaadhe district of Lower Juba region near the border with Kenya, a Press TV correspondent reported.
In a similar incident late on Thursday, a US done attack killed 22 in Kudhaa Island in southern Somalia near the border with Kenya.
Somalia is the sixth country where the US military has conducted drone strikes.
The US has deployed bombing and intelligence drones in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya, Iraq and Yemen to launch aerial missile attacks.
Washington claims the airstrikes target militants, though most such attacks have resulted in civilian casualties. “
The United States is trying to strengthen its grip on Africa at the moment. The toppling of the Gaddafi regime was not an isolated incident. Gaddafi, whatever his flaws, was seeking to unite Africa so that Africa could better defend itself. He was a key player in the African Union. Obama’s regime has recently increased its activity in Somalia and also Sudan. Obama does not have the best interest of Africans at heart. He is an imperialist. Obama is a war president. Obama is guilty of war crimes.
It is also important to note the increasing use of drones as an instrument of imperialist policy. Drones are being used by the US in several conflicts right now. They are even being used on the Mexican border. The use of drones and airpower is a way to intervene at a distance. It is a way to engage in imperial war with little consequences in the court of imperial public opinion. In reality, the US is engaged in continuous war worldwide even though the US does not always put boots on the ground.
Leading Lights call for African and Third World unity against all imperialist intervention.
US beating war drums: Mexico and Iran
US beating war drums: Mexico and Iran
(new-power.org)
A sensational story is being reported in the media. The FBI and DEA have claimed to foil a plot by Gholam Shakuri, an individual with alleged connections to the elite Iranian Quds Force. According to reports, Iranian agents operating in the United States were attempting to contact Mexican drug cartels in order to secure their help in blowing up the Saudi ambassador Adel Al-Jubeir. They also reportedly sought to supply the cartels with “tons of opium.” US Attorney General Eric Holder held a press conference:
“High-up (Iranian) officials in those agencies … were responsible for this plot… I think one has to be concerned about the chilling nature of what the Iranian government attempted to do here.”
Iranian state television has rejected the accusations:
“The Islamic Republic of Iran has rejected U.S. accusations of the country plotting to assassinate the Saudi envoy to Washington as a prefabricated scenario.”
It is important to use common sense here. Even though Saudi Arabia and the United States, along with Israel, have been trying to prevent the growing regional power of Iran, the allegation against Iran has to be looked upon with great skepticism. Iran has little to gain from assassinating a single individual, especially an ambassador. Such a plot would be extremely risky. If the plot were uncovered, as it has been, it would turn international opinion against Iran in diplomatic circles. It would also give the United States a reason to launch more attacks against Iran, especially Iran’s nuclear facilities. The United States and Israel have already been accused of targeting Iranian scientists. The discovery of “terrorism” on US soil would sway US public opinion for more military action against Iran.
We cannot say for sure whether Iran was involved or not, but this looks like elaborate psychological warfare. Not only does this elaborate plot stir up US public opinion against Iran, it also begins to lay the groundwork for linking the so-called “war on terror” to the so-called “war on drugs.” It begins to lay the basis for US intervention in Mexico if the situation in Mexico continues to degenerate. The United States is laying the groundwork for a possible intervention on Mexican soil. This may be the United States reacting to the possibility of the chaos of warlordism spreading into the United States. The United States may be preparing for this contingency. Another possibility is that the United States may have a direct hand in aiding the drug warlords in an attempt to break up and more easily control Mexico. We cannot say for sure. US predator drones are already operating on the border. In any case, it is important to note these trends.
Leading Lights oppose all imperialist intervention against Iran and Mexico.
Katt Williams, you are a typical American kkklown
Katt Williams, you are a typical American kkklown
(new-power.org)
Katt Williams is a Black comedian whose star has risen in recent years. He is a favorite on cable shows such as Comedy Central. He has gradually become a representative of the next generation of the genre. He is seen as hip and edgy. Until a few days ago, he was one of the comedic darlings of many “far left” activists in the United States, who are always oh-so desperate to stay hip. Last week, he went even too far for them. Last week, Katt Williams performed in Phoenix, a hotbed of racism and White nationalism. In an exchange last week in Phoenix, Katt Williams echoes the worst racism of the Minutemen and Tea Party, American fascist organizations. Katt Williams bullied a Mexican audience member from the stage with a racist and pro-American barrage. Katt Williams even goes so far to lead the happy audience-turned-mob in a chant of “USA! USA! USA!” and in singing the “Star Spangled Banner.” Katt Williams says:
“That’s what I ask all my Mexican friends.. since ya’ll seem to like it over here a lot… It appears to me, ya’ll like it over here… A LOT… If ya’ll had California and you loved it then you shouldn’t a gave that muthafucka up. You should’ve fought for California goddamn it since [sarcastic tone] you love it… You think I am dissing Mexico, but I am defending America. Are you Mexican? Do you know where Mexico is? No this ain’t Mexico. It used to be Mexico, muthafucka and now it is Phoenix goddamn it! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! Fuck you back, muthafucka… pinche cabrone. Do you know where you at, nigga? USA! USA! USA! USA! I don’t give a fuck! This is my hood nigga! Fuck him!.. Muthafuckas think they can live in this country and still be allegiance to another fuckin country. If you live in this country, then you love America, muthafucka… Do you remember when White people used to say go back to Africa? We’d have to tell them we don’t want to? Well, if you love Mexico, bitch, then get the fuck over there… [Sings the American national anthem] Oh say can you see, by dawn’s early light…”
The patriotic audience was worked into a pro-American, anti-Mexican frenzy by Katt Williams. They gave Katt Williams a standing ovation.
The facts. In his tirade, Katt Williams claims that Mexicans never fought for California. Actually, the United States invaded Mexico between 1845 to 1848 in order to steal Mexican and Indigenous land, but also to — wait for it — extend slavery. It was necessary to annex more land in the southern region in order to extend the slave states in order to keep the ratio between slave and free state even, in order to keep the Missouri Compromise. According to one source, there were 25,000 Mexican casualties in the war and 13,780 American ones. This figure does not include civilian deaths that happened as a long-term result of the conquest. Most victims were Mexican and indigenous peoples. Not only did thousands die then, they continue to die to this day.
This occupation and theft of land was part of the process of what was termed “Manifest Destiny,” the belief that America, and White civilization, had a duty to conquer and rule all the lands from coast to coast. This belief was used not only to steal Mexican land and depopulate it, but also to wipe out countless Indigenous civilizations in the greatest land theft and genocide in history. The same White supremacist justifications that were used to steal Mexican land were also used to justify the enslaving of African peoples. Racist rhetoric, such as Katt Williams’, was also used in subsequent depopulation campaigns. Similarly, the rhetoric is used to justify the endless wars by the United States against the Third World. Similarly, it is used by the police against Black and Mexican communities within the USA. Katt Williams, you are Uncle Sam’s jester.
Just because people migrate here, they are not obliged to “love it,” as Katt Williams, echoing the Klan and Tea Party, states. For the most part, peoples of the Third World migrate to the United States because imperialism has ravaged the Third World. The wealth of the First World is connected to poverty in the Third World. Mexicans, and others, migrate to the United States to survive. They are willing to risk their lives crossing deserts, willing to risk incarceration, willing to risk extortion by mafias, willing to endure racism and terror, in order to survive. The fact that so many millions come to the United States is not a testament to the greatness of the United States, but to its errors. At the same time, it is true that those who come here enter the First World. For the most part, they become part of the system and aspire to advance themselves within it. They integrate into the First World. They, unfortunately, do come to “love it,” or at least become comfortable enough not to challenge it. Their proletarian memory fades.
It is no surprise that Katt Williams’ racist tirade was received with loud applause from his, mixed Black and White, audience. The mass outburst of American nationalism and racial hatred helps show that it is a myth that Blacks in the United States are a revolutionary social base just waiting to be tapped, just as it is a myth that poor Whites are. It is no surprise that Blacks share many of the same attitudes as Whites on the subject of migration. The claim that Blacks, Whites, Chicanos, and even Mexicans within the borders of the United States constitute a significant social base for revolution is false. At present, in the United States, the handfuls that can be organized around national liberation or pseudo-socialist programmes (or real communist ones, for that matter) are numerically insignificant. They are anomalies, just as the handfuls of Whites who are willing to organize around pseudo-socialist programmes (or real communist programmes, for that matter) are. Generally speaking, this is why, in the First World, it is better to just organize anomalies across the board — Black, White, Mexican (within the US), etc. — rather than playing to mythological or unreliable and insignificant social bases. First World populations on the whole already receive more than their fair share of the world’s social product. The lives of First World peoples, on the whole, are not sustainable. To tell them they deserve more fans the fires of imperialism and fascism, even if it is disguised in “left” rhetoric. This is why it is important to put the Leading Light Communist, altruist demand front and center without pandering to social-imperialist economism. We must demand that everyone serve the people, but on a global scale. Appeal to the best in people, not the worst. Appeal to their highest and best aspirations for a better world for all, not their narrow and self-centered ones. Appeal straight to all anomalies in the First World with the carrot of a totally new world and altruism rather than dangling economic carrots in front of First World peoples. The latter, the trademark of First World populism, is an imperialist demand in disguise. The Leading Light was the first to really understand global class in the contemporary era. Pantherism is important to learn from, but Pantherism is the past, not the future. It is time to look forward, not backward. Follow the Leading Light all the way. Be the Leading Light.
First Worldism is social fascism
First Worldism is Social Fascism by ModernMarxist
There is a reason why Third Worldists refer to First Worldists as “social fascists”. We are living in a day and age where imperialism has advanced capitalist centralization of wealth on a global level. The rich countries rape, plunder, pillage, impoverish and enslave the poor countries, coercing and bombing them into submission. If the “leaders” of the third world will not sell out their people and submit their resources and labor to the imperialists, their countries are subject to invasion, slaughter, and ultimately destruction. This is not some kind of secret that only a chosen few know; there are no conspiracy theories or men in suits lobbying in smoke filled rooms. This is common knowledge. Unfortunately, it is common knowledge which, today, few in the First World choose to think about or even acknowledge. Today, the First World’s primary source of wealth and labor is the Third World. When First Worlders, especially First World workers, want more, when they want an increase in their living standards, they are taking that new barbecue or 3D flat-screen right out of the mouths of Third Worlders. They are using luxury and commodity fetishism to rob the Third World of simple austerity measures. They are taking more and more from those who are already barely surviving: those who produce but cannot eat from the fruit of their labor.
During his life, Marx spoke of what criteria defines who is of the proletariat and who is of the bourgeoisie. He described the proletariat as a class receiving far less than the value of their labor - of having nothing to sell but their labor and subsequently being alienated from their labor. This does not describe the vast majority of First World peoples. This does define, however, the majority of Third Worlders. One important criterion of the bourgeoisie is consuming much but producing little or nothing in terms of valuable labor. This is very descriptive of most First World peoples, even those on the lowest strata (who are in and of themselves a minority) in the First World. We can gather from this (as well as all other Marxist criteria of what defines each class) that today’s class contradiction is a global one in the current age of globalization and US hegemony. Today there is a global proletariat struggling to survive under the yolk of a global bourgeoisie. It is the duty of a communist to struggle against the bourgeoise in support of proletarian revolution, even if it means becoming a class traitor.
One who does not even recognize these global class contradictions cannot possibly call oneself a communist. It is laughable that today’s First World “communist” parties are so willing to describe themselves as Marxist (or indeed anything even leftist) when they not only fail to recognize today’s material conditions, the way imperialism has changed the game, but they also fail to support the global proletariat against the global bourgeoisie. In fact (and this is almost shockingly dim), these “communist” parties support the global bourgeoisie in their parasitic devouring of the Third World peoples, the global proletariat. They are the labor aristocracy. They are completely bought off by imperialism. They call for more. More for First World peoples. More wages. More benefits. More at the expense of those who have nothing. Those who truly have nothing to lose but their chains.
In order to wage a People’s War (which some “communist” parties, hilariously, actually have the gall to say might happen in the First World), or even begin any sort of proletarian revolutionary action, you don’t just need a proletariat (which does not exist in any revolutionary form in the First World), but you also need a social base. People have to desire and work for a revolution, because a communist revolution doesn’t just closely involve common people, but it is subsequently composed of the efforts of common people. First Worlders are asleep. They are too busy wallowing in their decadence and consumerism. First Worlders do not make the basis for revolution. They are not concerned with the proletariat. This is a very basic truth. To refuse to acknowledge this is not science. It is not Marxism. To refuse to acknowledge this is to have your head buried in dogma, the dogmatic idea that all workers are exploited and oppressed, regardless of material conditions.
First Worldists are social fascists because they do not want to force First Worlders to give up their privilege. They do not want to give the Third World back what rightfully belongs to them. They want to establish another Third Reich: material prosperity at the expense of others. The only difference is that First World imperialism is based on bourgeois decadence and a standard of living exponentially higher than that of any imperialist power in history. The First Worldists will not halt imperialism. They are the beneficiaries of imperialism. Any First World “revolution” by any First World “socialist” movement would be social imperialism. The First World simply will not receive more from true non-imperialistic socialism: really, they would receive less. The First Worldists will not and would not do what needs to be done to truly establish socialism, to truly take the world on the road to communism. They remain content consuming more while those they take from starve and die, living under the iron gauntlet of imperialism. First Worldists are enemies of equality and enemies of the global proletariat, regardless of whether or not they paint their imperialism red or blue or gold or white or black.
Historically, communist revolution has always come from the darkest of places. It has always come from those who truly had nothing to lose but their chains. It came from those who, for them, revolution meant survival; for those who fought so that their children might be able to live decent, dignified and meaningful lives. Clean, sanitary water. Food. Clothes. Housing that doesn’t blow away or crumble in front of weather, or tanks. Education. Health care. Never has a communist revolution occurred in the rich countries, where the majority of its people could live without much concern for daily needs. In the rich imperialist counties, a different kind of revolution occurred once it’s people’s living standards took a drop. Once the imperialist privilege of these spoiled populations was threatened, they turned to fascism and bourgeois nationalism. They allied with the bourgeoisie, not the proletariat. The most reactionary elements of society took control and reorganized their economies and societies in order to not just allow but demand imperialism. Death was the answer to everything.
First Worldist “communists” are not communists at all. They are social fascists and social imperialists, demanding more for their own people, and actively working to oppress and exploit others to maintain imperialist privilege. They reject science and today’s reality and material conditions, clinging childishly to dogma and revisionism. Socialist redistribution of wealth on a global level is not in the First Worldists’ interests. “Revisionism” means to cut the revolutionary heart out of communism, and that is exactly what First Worldists do. Leading Light Communists are the only real communists today. Be a Leading Light. Support real communism, not First World revisionism.
Presidential Candidate Michele Bachmann compares slavery to todays times.
Presidential Candidate Michele Bachmann compares slavery to todays times by Cherokeetears
As the Tea Party continues to express the absolute worst of American nationalism and imperialism, its front-running presidential candidate, Michele Bachmann, signed a pledge from the Iowa Christian Group’s “Marriage Vow.” This “Vow” acted as a pledge to “preserve the family” by banning pornography, same-sex marriage, and the presidency of Barack Obama.(1)
Not only are these statements obvious and blatantly bigoted remarks, but they also find their shock value in historical inaccuracies. Part of the vow reads:
“Slavery had a disastrous impact on African-American families, yet sadly a child born into slavery in 1860 was more likely to be raised by his mother and father in a two-parent household than was an African-American baby born after the election of the USA’s first African-American President.”
This abstraction that the vow mentions are not accurate, since they don’t take into account the exponential number of slave families broken up by the trade and selling of slaves themselves. Endless amounts of families were broken up because of slavery.(2) There were simply less free slaves that had the opportunity to decide the fate of their families than there are today. Therefore, there were less divorces. Lack of choice and mobility in slave society was hardly a positive aspect of life. This reactionary statement does less to expose the “horrors” of bourgeoisie culture today, and more to show how utterly close the Tea Party exposes it’s flat racism. No wonder other republican candidates refuse to sign such an act. They don’t want to be exposed as racists in such hard terminology. They would prefer to use “soft terms” like “political correctness,” “affirmative action,” and “sanctity of marriage.” Leading Lights see through this farce for the racist, sexist, and heterosexist nature of these reactionary, far-right imperialist comments. This may seem harsh, but it’s the truth.
This is the same woman who claims that the Founding Fathers “worked tirelessly to end slavery,” referring specifically and after the fact to John Quincy Adams, who was not a Founding Father, since he was 8 when the Declaration of Independence was signed.
The same vow pledges to “end Sharia law,”(3) a statement that shows that multiculturalism is not a priority of American Tea, and that no culture but Christian American culture is acceptable. But many aspects of this culture are more reactionary than Sharia Law, and Christian Culture is more reactionary than Islam, and further serves the ruling class. However, the “Marriage Vow” is a crusade of bigotry that sees itself as the only choice for others. This Vow is ridiculous and shows the fascism rising in the far-right of the First World.
We must fight the racism, sexism, and heterosexism that rises out of reactionary declarations of this “Marriage Vow,” because these reactionary concepts have no basis in reality or betterment, but only in metaphysical and supremacist concepts. This is nationalistic, chauvinistic, and absolutely elitist mentality that only the mentally insane, like Michele Bachmann and the Tea Party, would endorse.
Sources:
1.Star Tribunal:Source
US creates Fake Internet Profiles in order to Squash Dissent
US creates Fake Internet Profiles in order to Squash Dissent. by Cherokeetears
(new-power.org)
The US military has hired a company in California in order to create fake convincing internet profiles that will be easily monitored by officials in order to discourage alternate points of view.(1) The company will be able to create programs that allow officials to monitor up to ten profiles with convincing and elaborate backstories(ibid.). This will act as a tool of propaganda reliant of the concept of group think in order to influence mass opinion of the internet. What does this mean for Leading Lights?
First, it discredits the liberal concept of “people power.” Not only is this internet criminality, but it creates “sock-puppets” in order to reaffirm statements and make “non-conventional” opinions seem awkward, out of place, and unsupported. It works to create social maladies behind dissent. It silences disagreement among users, and utilizes groupthink to affect the opinions of users who may disagree.(2)
It also creates a question of security for comrades. Though for now it simply is used for the “sock-puppet” effect – squashing dissent through discussion – it could soon be used to intentionally infiltrate and sabotage groups of dissent within leftist and pseudo-leftist circles. It is increasingly important to avoid giving up security for these convincing façades: avoid pig questions, encourage solidarity with cadre, and reduce the possibility of infiltration.(3) We are living in the belly of the imperialist beast, and we must make sure that we aren’t discouraged by these acts of sabotage. This security cannot turn to fear, because paranoia is the best weapon of the imperialists, and has led to the destruction of many dissenting groups before.
If this is the what the government is willing to turn to, how much farther are they capable of going? They have the resources (from the Third World), and they have the motives (to increase the super-profits and retain the First World standard of living and hegemony). It is our job to be aware of these issues and prepare for them.
For more on security: see MIM’s reports on internet security
Sources:
(1)NPR – “Report: U.S. Creates Fake Online Identities To Counter ‘Enemy Propaganda’”
(2)PsySR
Reflections on the 4th (Reich) of July
Reflections on the 4th (Reich) of July by Cherokeetears
(new-power.org)
Parades, fireworks, songs, and Empire. As the fourth of July ends for this year, it is important to reflect on the nature of the holiday, the country it represents, and the legacy that such an event leaves on the minds of bourgeoise nationalist First Worldists today. As Americans were reminded to “support the troops” that support their consumerism, they took pride in the romanticism of the “revolution” that made the way for a country founded on stolen land and genocide. They celebrated the forcible “American way,” and because they supported this way, they also supported the subjugation of others to achieve the American way. So, what is good about “Independence Day?” Well, let’s briefly review a few key moments in American History.
The forcible removal (read: ethnic cleansing) and mass murder (read: genocide) of 10,000,000 American Indians can be considered a monumental, if not completely under-appreciated, extension of the earliest American conquest so patriotically called “Manifest Destiny” among other names. The absolute destruction of all remnants of American Indian culture and history can be attributed to American “patriotism.” What about such horrors as the massacres and murders, residential schools for assimilation, repetitive reservation relocation, and the intentional spread of smallpox? Americans truly do have something to be proud of within their own indigenous populations: they can be proud of effectively destroying an entire population over the course of 100 years.
The era of slavery and the following years of Jim Crow are epochs of American history that continue to influence ethnic tensions and inequalities even today. There is no reason to believe that slavery was anything less than a crime against humanity, for which America never truly paid the price. The “Founding Fathers” themselves had slaves, Jefferson even fathering children with slaves, only to enslave them along with the other human workhorses. As slavery ended, bigotry continued. With the passing of Jim Crow, widespread lynchings, and racial prejudices that continue de facto today. Supreme Court decision Plessy v. Ferguson legalized “separate but equal” institutions. Dred Scott v. Sanford only further removed the rights of blacks, declaring that they are not citizens.
After we talk about the horrible inequalities that blacks were subject over, we can see a continued (but bought off) oppression of minority groups in the US today. Minorities largely inhabit the lowest economic strata in the US, and crime rates and socio-economic conditions are still bound in ethnic discrimination. The system hasn’t changed, and these groups, now as beneficiaries of imperialism, have no motivation or interest to stop the oppressors, and have become oppressors themselves. They too are “proud Americans.”
We have yet to mention today’s globalized system of US hegemony and imperialism, that rots the infrastructure of countries, causes wars, and bleeds countries of their economic power: all so that Americans can keep their cheap gap clothing and high standard of living. The US has been responsible for war crimes committed by US appointed leaders all over the world. The US can be proud of its support of the crimes of Augusto Pinochet. The US can be proud of the embargo in Cuba. The US has a lot to be proud of even outside it’s borders.
And now, globalization and Americanization teaches people around the world that they can be Americans too. They can buy nice clothes, and own nice cars if they simply open up their economies to “free trade.” However, we know that the American way of life is a parasitic wayof life that is inaccessible to 5 billion other people in the world. The fact of the matter is, not everybody can be an American, and I guess Americans are proud of that too.
The American way is a way of pride in destruction. It is a blind bourgeoisie nationalism that does nothing to further the cause of self-determination, but rather seeks to control the rest of the world “because it’s a country’s freedom” to do so. The American way is a way of little Eichmanns, a way of greedy American parasites seeking more of the pie, and acting in blind bourgeoise nationalism* and chauvinism to justify it. Yeah, I guess Americans do have a lot to be proud of.
*When “nationalism” is mentioned in this article, it is not the progressive nationalism that leads to liberation, but rather a fascist/imperialist nationalism that only seeks to further the interests of the ruling class.
IMF appoints new managing director
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| Lagarde: the new face of the IMF |
IMF appoints new managing director by Cherokeetears
Christine Lagarde, finance minister of France, was voted in as the new managing director to the IMF today. 1 She will be the first woman ever appointed to the position, after Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s resignation due to allegations of sexual assault by women.2 Unfortunately, the IMF, World Bank, and Washington Consensus are all the of the worst aspects of liberalism and imperialism, and any effort to push the terms and conditions of the IMF by any managing director, man or woman, will only further slow the development of the Third World and continue the exploitation of the poor countries by the rich countries (led by the US, which has the largest share of authority in the IMF/World Bank).
What is the IMF? Well the International Monetary Fund is an international liberal organization founded on the concept of economic interdependence and trying to even out the backlash of interdependence on a global market. When a country goes into a long term period of debt, the IMF offers long term financial aide to the country in order to “improve” the economic conditions of the country. However, the IMF also has terms which countries are subject to called “structural adjustments.” These SA’s are determined by the countries that contribute to the IMF from the lender position: the larger of a percentage a country provides, the more influence it has on defining the SA’s for the receiving countries. So which country has the largest percentage of aide invested? You guessed it – the United States. So the US gets to decide the structural adjustments that a country must make in order to receive aide. The United States’ terms in which it gives aide include: increased privatization (including key government industries like health care), halting inflation, increased economic interdependence (which creates dependency in underdeveloped countries), and Foreign Direct Investments. What are Foreign Direct Investments? It is basically the idea of allowing corporations – like Nike, Apple, and Nestle – into the country, permitting them to exploit the labor of the working poor for subsistence levels or worse. The US “standards” given in the IMF are referred to as the Washington Consensus, and make up one of the worst examples of imperialism by the First World against the Third World.
It’s important to note that Dominique Strauss-Kahn is a member of the “socialist party” and a former member of the “communist party.”3 But what kind of “socialist” earns $420,000 a year plus pensions?4 DSK is an example of the hypocritical nature of First Worldism. He claims to support the oppressed while simultaneously representing the interests of imperialists. This is social-imperialism at its worst. Will Christine Lagarde be any better? Well no, because the IMF itself is a coalition of imperialist forces, headed by the US, that exploits the public policies and economic systems of countries to encourage economic dependence, underdevelopment, and “market reforms” that hurt the countries receiving “aid.” A real socialist would oppose the IMF and the US because at the center it only hurts countries: it is, in fact, more imperialism.
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| The social-imperialist Dominique Strauss-Kahn |
The Washington Consensus is the US “big stick” strategy for the economic sphere of international relations. When the US isn’t marching its troops in, using the cover of NATO to drop bombs on civilians, or embargoing countries into economic failure, it uses the idea of “economic relief” to push liberalism, and foreign direct investment into countries that are powerless in the face of corporate state sponsorship. Countries are only given loans if they allow these FDI’s into their countries. The “structural adjustments” that have been brought to these countries has negatively impacted countries including Mexico, Latvia, Turkey, Indonesia, Brazil, Thailand, and Russia.5 The IMF hasn’t acknowledged sovereignty, self-determination, worker’s rights, women’s rights, or the importance of sustaining the environment, what will change with Lagarde? The answer is nothing. She makes no mention of fixing these ills, and even if she did, we wouldn’t be able to support her because the IMF is not a positive institution. It simply services imperialism and First World chauvinism. It is headed by the United States, and will never help the countries that it bullies with its structural adjustments and FDI’s.
Therefore, it is important to oppose the IMF/World Bank/WTO, because they are all acts of war against the Third World. They do nothing but further the interests of the exploiters and allow imperialism to continue providing cheap commodities to it’s domestic mall economies. It is using the blood of the Third World to create the riches of the First World.
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